De Zerbi’s post‑match tirade at Tel highlights Spurs’ scoring crisis
Roberto De Zerbi stormed onto the pitch to confront Mathys Tel the moment the final whistle blew after Tottenham’s 0‑0 draw with Everton on Saturday evening in north London, extending the club’s goal drought to more than six hours and marking the first time they have failed to score in their opening four league games.
Post‑match confrontation
De Zerbi walked straight onto the pitch after the final whistle and confronted Tel, berating the former Bayern Munich forward in a tense exchange. Tel stood with his arms on his hips as the Italian coach gestured sharply. Picture: Foxwell/ProSports/Shutterstock – Les Sport ON We.
In the post‑match press conference De Zerbi explained, “I was coaching him on the pitch. The body shape, he is a striker, the striker will play with his shoulder on the goal side. If we are playing with Maddison, Kudus and Savinho, he has to play as a striker and look at the goal, no?” He added that he loves Mathys as a player and there is no personal problem.
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp was scathing, saying the performance was “diabolical” and noting the club’s £300m summer spending. “I didn’t think there would be a problem scoring goals,” he told, adding that six hours of Premier League football without a goal is “absolutely diabolical”.
Spurs’ ongoing scoring woes
The Toffees held Spurs to a goalless draw, leaving Tottenham with over 400 minutes without a goal and just two shots on target. De Zerbi said the side entered the Everton area 74 times but failed to create a quality chance, and the club sit 17th in the Premier League – the same position they occupied in each of the previous two campaigns.
De Zerbi urged his players to stay calm, improve and work hard, saying, “We have to analyse the last decision, we made too many wrong decisions, but I think we played well.” He stressed the need for individual understanding of where improvement is required.
Ashley Young echoed the frustration, calling the six‑hour goal drought “a disgrace” and insisting “there needs to be a big conversation amongst the players”.
De Zerbi concluded that he will continue to analyse performances and work on the team’s attacking output, leaving supporters waiting to see when the first goal will finally arrive.